Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-06-09
soNORA'S LOST MINES.
Ea-Cad.t FHpper's iuVcstigations-GoinS
Ihrourh the Old Workings.

Through the Ola W ofhihg>-
Capt. Allen Mcintyre, who runs the
Lake Superior cumpauy's steamer Peer
less bctween Chicago and Duluth, has
lust returned from a winters SoJourn IN
sonora old Mexico. where he has btsn
for health and pleasure. As 10 the re
ported mineral discoveries, Capt MCln-
tyre does not pretend 10 hc an authority
in such matters. He brought home seV-
vral specimens Of the ore from IauJa
groups a portion of the 50 called lost
mines. but To the eye 1T experience tu
such matters the ore does not threaten "A
bonanza. The ore is free milling. but the
highest assay claimed for 1t Is $50 a ton,
and this is carried in a vein not much
over three or four feet wide. Ii Is SAID,
however that much richer ore Is beng
worked in a feeble way 10y thr MeNicans in
other parts Of the Tauia group. Nv hat
Interested me most. ." "a j Capt. Mcintyre
was the drcadfUlly rough country We
had 10 traverse Ia get IL tins terra nC"S
nita. The reginn lies about 100 miles in
au air line southeast Of Torres. a station
on the GuaynIas branch Of the NChlsOn
and Topeka road. The country Is de
lightful one until yOu strike the foothills
of the Sierra Nadrc range. and then II he
comes Grandly wild our party clam
bered for miles and miles where even the
mules could hardly get footing
Were the stories Of FIpPyrs finding
some rcCuruis in an old ruined mission cor
reCt>''
Not exactly Flipper did make the
acquaintance, however. of an American
there who had married the niece Of Il
famous old padre. who lived century or
more ago and this American had large
library. containing some works over goo
years old. FHpper knows Spanish thor
oughly, and he went through some Uf
these old books and manuscripts. II is
by that means he got AN lnk.lnE OF where
to look for the abandoned mining regions
Of GUyanoCa and Tayoja Flipper and
Kruse went after one and VI. J. Power, Il
miner in Mexico and myself went for the
other. The story published of ruins OF
villages, arastras, and other remains Of
| an abandoned industry are correct. 1t
was mighty interesting 10 me TO 60
through these old workings ! believe
within radius Of mile | could have
| counted over 100 openings 10 these ledges
So far as we could determine. there are
three lodges converging toward "A center
| have no doubt that further develop
ment by modern mining methods Will
show that these ledges will come together
| though, of course, that is only conjecture
''One can see that these mines have
been worked in most primitive method
Even now they are not wholly abandoned
We found one aged Mexican with burru
| who was getting out ore from Il place
| where he har capped one " the lodges
| He told us that his burro could carry 2J0
pounds Of ore. This he took some ten
| miles dowL The stream, where another
Mexican had an arastra, and there the
ore was worked. Each cargo, as he called
| the burro's load, netted him about 500
but having got thai much there was no
more mining until the money was es-
| hausted. These mines / have no doubt
are valuable, but il viii take heavy capt
| tai TO operate them-especially those in
the TayoJa group They are silver mines
much more costly To work. The Guy
| anOca mines are gold, and if they are as
lspFesentsd-I did not see them-they are
undoubtedly bonanza
'Whgt other evidences do YOU find that
| these mines were worked by the ancients'"
20, none, but the ruined adobe houses
the wrecked arastras and the tunnels that
had ages ago cayed. There were three uc
| fOur ancient dumps through which trees
| We're growing, and | saw one broken
| aTastra that had an oak tree nine
| or ten inches in diameter running right
| up through the bottom Ii is years and
years since that arastra was worked
But" continued the captain II WAS more
struck with the agricultural and cattle
| raising possibilities Of Sonora than any
| thing else l rode over thousands aud
thousands Of acres OF Us fine grazing and
agricultural lauds as the sun ever shone
upon. Men without capital could amass
fortunes here in no time raising cattle for
the American market. Sonora i veTitabiy
a Cattleluan paradise. There is lovely
climate, abundant water, native grasses
| by the league, plenty Of shade from thou
| sands ot oaks i'll the huge pastures; ~
snow. no cold, no billiards and CunSe-
9uently no loss of stock. Mexican herderS
and no more faithful set of workers can
| be found auywhere-Can he hired for fifty
cents day and board themselves. Native
| cattle are dirt cheap. Cross them with
American bulls and the result Is some
fine stock. Chicago Tribune.